The numbers tell a troubling story.
South Africa’s cold chain sector is projected to triple in value by 2030. But a critical question remains unanswered: who will operate and maintain this expanding infrastructure?
The numbers tell a troubling story. While government and industry pour billions into cold storage facilities, refrigerated transport fleets, and temperature-controlled logistics networks, the pipeline of qualified technicians, engineers, and specialists remains woefully inadequate. Worse still, nobody can say with certainty how large that gap actually is — because the data simply does not exist.
This article examines South Africa’s cold chain skills crisis from multiple angles: the market growth driving demand, the artisan production system failing to keep pace, the untapped potential of women in the industry, and the verification challenge that leaves operators uncertain whether the technicians they hire are genuinely qualified. The findings paint a picture of an industry at risk of being constrained not by capital or technology, but by the absence of human capability.
The Market Opportunity: Growth That Demands Skills
South Africa’s cold chain logistics market is experiencing unprecedented expansion. According to industry research, the sector is projected to grow from approximately $6.3 billion to $20.6 billion by 2030 — more than tripling in value within a decade. Globally, cold chain logistics is forecast to expand from $242 billion in 2021 to $647 billion by 2028.
This growth is driven by multiple converging forces. Rising consumer demand for fresh, frozen, and ready-to-eat foods requires reliable temperature-controlled distribution networks. The pharmaceutical sector’s expansion, particularly in biologics, vaccines, and insulin, has made cold chain logistics a critical component of healthcare delivery. International food safety regulations from the European Union, China, and other trading partners are demanding higher compliance standards from South African exporters. And the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is unlocking new cross-border opportunities that depend on unbroken cold chain integrity from farm to freight.
Infrastructure investments are following the growth trajectory. Major logistics operators are expanding cold storage capacity. Port facilities are adding refrigerated container handling capabilities. E-commerce platforms are driving demand for last-mile cold chain solutions. Government initiatives are targeting pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity, with African Union goals calling for 60% local vaccine production by 2040.
Yet amid all this expansion, a fundamental question remains inadequately addressed: where will the skilled workforce come from?
The Artisan Production Gap: Targets Met Halfway
South Africa’s National Development Plan sets an ambitious target: 30,000 qualified artisans per year by 2030. This target spans all trades essential to economic development, from electricians and boilermakers to refrigeration mechanics and instrumentation technicians.
The reality falls dramatically short. According to the Department of Higher Education and Training, South Africa produces approximately 15,000 artisans annually — exactly half the target. This shortfall is not a recent development; the gap has persisted for years with little meaningful progress toward closing it.
The implications for cold chain specifically are significant but impossible to quantify precisely, because refrigeration mechanic output is not separately reported. The artisan development system tracks aggregate numbers across all trades, leaving industry planners without visibility into how many qualified refrigeration technicians, cold storage engineers, or temperature-controlled transport specialists are entering the workforce each year.
This data gap is not merely an administrative oversight — it represents a fundamental failure of workforce planning. An industry projected to grow by hundreds of percent cannot develop training capacity, allocate educational resources, or plan for succession without knowing its current skills inventory and production rate.
The Training Pipeline: Complexity Without Capacity
Becoming a qualified refrigeration artisan in South Africa requires navigating a complex pathway that typically spans three to four years. Candidates must complete formal training through TVET colleges or private providers, accumulate substantial workplace experience, and ultimately pass a trade test administered by accredited centres.
The pathway involves multiple regulatory bodies. The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) oversees occupational qualifications. The National Artisan Moderation Body (NAMB) manages trade test standards and administration. The South African Qualification and Certification Committee for Gas (SAQCC Gas) registers practitioners authorised to work with refrigerants under Pressure Equipment Regulations. The South African Institute of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (SAIRAC) provides professional registration and industry standards.
Recent changes have added further complexity. The QCTO has implemented new occupational qualifications that separate refrigeration, air conditioning, CO2 systems, and ammonia systems into distinct qualification streams. While this reflects genuine differences in skill requirements and safety considerations, it also means technicians now need multiple qualifications to work across the range of systems commonly found in cold chain operations.
Training capacity is concentrated in relatively few providers. The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Academy (ACRA), with branches in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Northern Cape, is the largest private training provider in the sector. Several TVET colleges offer refrigeration programmes, and manufacturer-specific training is available from equipment suppliers. However, no consolidated data exists on total training throughput across all providers.
The challenge extends beyond initial qualification. Continuing professional development, upskilling on new technologies, and specialisation in areas like natural refrigerants or pharmaceutical-grade systems all require additional training that the current system struggles to deliver at scale.
The Gender Gap: Half the Population, One Percent of the Workforce
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the cold chain skills crisis is the near-total absence of women. Globally, females make up less than one percent of the HVAC and refrigeration workforce — making it one of the least gender-diverse sectors in the entire economy.
South Africa’s numbers are marginally better but still stark. According to Statistics South Africa, only 10.9% of craft and related trade jobs are occupied by women. Industry sources suggest that historically, fewer than 10% of artisans have been female. The contrast with other occupations is dramatic: women dominate clerical and domestic work categories, yet remain almost invisible in technical trades.
The pipeline shows signs of change — but also reveals where progress stalls. In 2017, 57% of students enrolled in TVET colleges were female, including programmes in civil engineering, construction, electrical infrastructure, and mechatronics. Around 45% of students in technical programmes are women. Yet these enrollment numbers do not translate into qualified artisans.
At the Artisan Training Institute, approximately 30% of trainees are women. However, the proportion of “trade tested” women — those who complete their qualifications and enter the workforce as certified artisans — is far lower. The gap between enrollment and completion represents thousands of women who begin technical training but do not finish.
The barriers are well documented: gender stereotypes that discourage women from entering male-dominated fields; lack of mentorship and professional networks; workplace cultures that range from unwelcoming to actively hostile; and practical challenges around facilities, protective equipment, and work scheduling that assume a male workforce.
The Department of Labour has set targets for learnerships requiring 54% female participation. These targets are not being met in technical trades. Meanwhile, the cold chain industry faces a skills crisis while effectively excluding half the potential talent pool.
Some progress is being celebrated, which itself reveals how far the industry has to go. When Traxtion Rail qualified its first female artisan in 2023, it was considered a milestone worthy of announcement. In a healthy skills ecosystem, this would be unremarkable; in the current reality, it is news.
The opportunity is substantial. With 51% of South Africa’s population female and high unemployment rates among women, the cold chain sector could address its skills shortage while advancing economic inclusion — if it chose to prioritise female participation in training, recruitment, and retention.
The Verification Problem: Who Is Actually Qualified?
Compounding the supply shortage is a verification challenge that leaves operators uncertain about the genuine qualifications of technicians in the market.
Registration with SAQCC Gas is legally required for anyone working on refrigeration systems under the Pressure Equipment Regulations. The regulations, which came into force in 2009, define 14 categories of refrigeration practitioner registration, each with specific scope-of-work limitations. Practitioners must demonstrate training, qualifications, and experience to obtain registration, which must be renewed every three years.
Yet the gap between regulatory requirements and market reality is substantial. Self-proclaimed refrigeration technicians operate throughout South Africa, some with genuine skills acquired through years of informal experience, others with minimal competence posing real risks to equipment, products, and safety. The proliferation of “technicians” without formal qualifications creates downward pressure on wages for qualified artisans while exposing operators to compliance risks and performance failures.
Verification mechanisms exist but are underutilised. SAQCC Gas maintains a database of registered practitioners. SAIRAC provides professional registration. The National Artisan Registry records those who have passed trade tests. Employers can verify qualifications through SAQA and request trade test certificates with official stamps. Yet many operators, particularly smaller businesses, do not consistently check credentials before engaging technicians.
The consequences manifest in service quality. Temperature excursions during transport, refrigeration failures in cold storage, and compliance violations during audits often trace back to work performed by inadequately qualified personnel. In pharmaceutical cold chain applications, such failures can compromise product efficacy and patient safety. In food logistics, the results are spoilage, waste, and potential public health risks.
The Data Black Hole: What Nobody Knows
Running through every aspect of the cold chain skills crisis is a fundamental problem: the data required for informed decision-making does not exist in accessible form.
Consider what is not publicly available:
- Training output by trade: The total number of refrigeration mechanics completing trade tests each year is not published. Operators cannot assess whether training capacity is adequate because they cannot measure current output.
- Registered practitioner totals: SAQCC Gas maintains a database of authorised practitioners but does not publish aggregate statistics on total registrations, regional distribution, or growth trends.
- Professional membership numbers: SAIRAC does not publicly report total membership across its categories, making it impossible to estimate the size of the formally recognised professional community.
- Industry workforce census: No comprehensive survey has been conducted to establish how many people work in cold chain-related roles in South Africa, their qualification levels, age distribution, or geographic concentration.
- Completion rates by gender: While enrollment statistics are available, systematic tracking of completion rates and entry into employment by gender is not publicly reported.
This information vacuum has consequences. Government cannot allocate training resources effectively without knowing current output versus demand. Industry cannot plan succession without understanding workforce demographics. Training providers cannot calibrate capacity without visibility into market needs. Operators cannot benchmark their workforce quality without industry-wide data.
The absence of data is not inevitable — it reflects choices about what to measure and report. Other industries maintain workforce registries, conduct regular skills surveys, and publish trend data. The cold chain sector’s failure to do so leaves everyone operating blind.
What This Means for Industry
The skills crisis is not an abstract policy problem — it has immediate operational implications for every participant in South Africa’s cold chain ecosystem.
- Service quality at risk: As the market expands faster than the qualified workforce, service providers face pressure to deploy undertrained personnel. The result is higher failure rates, more temperature excursions, and increased product losses.
- Maintenance backlogs growing: Cold storage facilities, refrigerated transport units, and climate-controlled warehouses require regular maintenance to operate reliably. Skills shortages translate into deferred maintenance, reactive rather than preventive approaches, and accelerated equipment degradation.
- Premium for qualified technicians: Basic economics applies: scarce skills command premium wages. Operators report increasing difficulty retaining qualified technicians as competitors poach trained staff. The cost of labour in cold chain operations is rising faster than in comparable sectors.
- Compliance risk increasing: Pharmaceutical cold chain, food export, and retail cold storage all operate under regulatory frameworks that assume qualified personnel. Operators relying on unverified technicians face audit failures, market access restrictions, and potential legal liability.
- Innovation constrained: New technologies — natural refrigerants, IoT-enabled monitoring, predictive maintenance systems, automated cold storage — require technicians with updated skills. Without a functioning training pipeline, technology adoption is limited by workforce capability.
- Regional disparities deepening: Skills shortages are most acute outside major metropolitan areas. Cold chain operations in secondary cities and rural regions face even greater challenges recruiting qualified personnel, constraining the geographic expansion of temperature-controlled logistics.
Pathways Forward
Addressing South Africa’s cold chain skills crisis requires coordinated action across multiple fronts.
- Demand transparency: Industry associations and major operators should collaborate on workforce surveys that establish baseline data on current employment, qualifications, and demographics. Without this foundation, all other interventions are guesswork.
- Training capacity expansion: Current providers cannot meet projected demand. New training facilities, expanded intake at existing institutions, and employer-based training programmes all require investment. The merSETA and other relevant SETAs should prioritise cold chain trades in discretionary grant allocations.
- Female participation focus: Reaching the 54% female participation target in learnerships requires more than policy statements. It demands recruitment campaigns targeted at women, support systems to improve completion rates, workplace culture change to retain women who qualify, and visible role models demonstrating career success.
- Verification enforcement: Registration requirements mean nothing without enforcement. More consistent credential checking by operators, clearer consequences for unregistered practice, and easier verification mechanisms would raise the floor on workforce quality.
- Qualification pathway simplification: The current system’s complexity deters potential entrants. Clearer guidance on career pathways, recognition of prior learning for experienced but unqualified workers, and streamlined progression between qualification levels would improve throughput.
- Employer investment: Companies benefiting from cold chain growth must invest in workforce development, not merely compete for existing qualified personnel. Apprenticeship programmes, training subsidies, and retention strategies all require employer commitment.
Conclusion: Infrastructure Without People Is Just Equipment
South Africa stands at an inflection point in cold chain development. The investments are flowing, the infrastructure is expanding, and the market opportunity is substantial. But infrastructure without qualified people to operate and maintain it is just equipment waiting to fail.
The skills crisis is not insurmountable. Other countries have built robust artisan development systems. Other industries have successfully integrated women into technical workforces. Other sectors have created data systems that enable workforce planning. South Africa has the institutional frameworks, the training infrastructure, and the potential talent pool to address the gap.
What has been missing is urgency, coordination, and accountability. The cold chain sector has grown accustomed to skills shortages as a chronic condition rather than an acute crisis demanding response. That complacency is increasingly untenable as the market scales toward $20 billion and beyond.
The question is not whether South Africa can build cold chain infrastructure — it is whether the country can build the human capability to make that infrastructure work. On current trajectory, the answer is no. Changing that trajectory requires action now, before the infrastructure expansion outruns the workforce capacity to support it.
Key Statistics at a Glance
Market Growth
| Metric | Current | Projected | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA Cold Chain Market | $6.3 billion | $20.6 billion | By 2030 |
| Global Cold Chain Logistics | $242 billion (2021) | $647 billion | By 2028 |
Artisan Production Gap
| Metric | Target | Actual | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual artisan output (all trades) | 30,000 | ~15,000 | 50% shortfall |
| Refrigeration-specific output | Unknown | Unknown | No data published |
Gender Representation
| Metric | Percentage | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Female HVAC/R workforce (global) | <1% | CSG Talent (2015) |
| Female craft/trade workers (SA) | 10.9% | Statistics South Africa |
| Female artisans (SA historical) | <10% | Adcorp Group |
| Female TVET enrollment (SA) | 57% | Adcorp Group (2017) |
| Female trainees at ATI | 30% | Artisan Training Institute |
| Female trade test completion | Far lower than enrollment | Industry reports |
| Learnership target for women | 54% | Department of Labour |
Skills Shortage Indicators
| Finding | Source |
|---|---|
| 65% of employers struggle to fill tactical positions | University of Johannesburg |
| Skills shortage ranked top 5 constraint on SA supply chains | Barloworld Logistics |
| “Skills shortages still prevalent” in SA cold chain | Maersk (2025) |
| “Shortage of skilled workers” critical issue | DHL Supply Chain Africa |
Data Gaps — What Is Not Published
| Data Point | Status |
|---|---|
| Annual refrigeration trade test completions | Not published |
| SAQCC Gas total registered practitioners | Not published |
| SAIRAC membership numbers | Not published |
| TVET refrigeration programme throughput | Not published |
| Industry workforce census | Does not exist |
| Completion rates by gender | Not systematically tracked |
Sources and References
About These Sources
This article draws on government statistics, industry association data, market research reports, and trade publications. Where specific numbers are cited, sources are identified. Analysis extending beyond published data is clearly indicated as such. Readers seeking verification of specific statistics can access source materials through the URLs and organisations referenced.
Currency Note
Market projections, workforce statistics, and regulatory requirements reflect information available as of late 2025. Training programme details, qualification requirements, and registration procedures may change; readers should verify current status with relevant authorities for time-sensitive decisions.
Government and Regulatory Sources
- South African Government News Agency (SAnews) “Artisan targets not just a numbers game” (December 2016) Reports the National Development Plan target of 30,000 qualified artisans annually by 2030, with current production at approximately 15,000.
- Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Annual Reports and Sector Skills Plans Provides policy framework for artisan development and TVET college oversight.
- Statistics South Africa “How do women fare in the South African labour market?” and “Women in power: what do the statistics say?” Documents that only 10.9% of craft and related trade jobs are occupied by women, with women comprising 43.8% of total employment.
- Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) Directives for Certification: Trades listed on the NQF Governs occupational qualifications and trade test certification.
- National Artisan Development Support Centre (NADSC) Supports National Development Plan goal of producing 30,000 qualified artisans by 2030. Hosts NAMB (National Artisan Moderation Body) functions.
Industry Associations and Professional Bodies
- SAQCC Gas (South African Qualification and Certification Committee for Gas) Registration requirements for authorised refrigeration practitioners under Pressure Equipment Regulations. Mandated by Department of Employment and Labour to register gas practitioners. Defines 14 categories of refrigeration practitioner registration.
- SAIRAC (South African Institute of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning) Professional body for refrigeration engineers and technicians since 1951. Registered with Engineering Council of South Africa as Category A Voluntary Association. Founded with 41 members; now operates centres in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, and Port Elizabeth.
- SARACCA (South African Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association) Contractor association established 1963, received SEIFSA Award for Excellence 2016 noting 34% membership growth. Member association of SAQCC Gas responsible for processing refrigeration practitioner applications.
- merSETA (Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services SETA) Sector Skills Plan 2024/25 and learnership regulations. Documents Department of Labour targets: 85% Black, 54% women, 4% people with disabilities for learnerships.
Market Research and Industry Analysis
- Maersk: Logistics in South Africa for Cold Chain Growth September 2025 analysis noting that “infrastructure gaps, high energy costs, and skills shortages are still prevalent” in Southern African cold chain.
- DHL Supply Chain Africa “The Deepening Supply Chain Talent Shortage” CEO Paul Stone cited regarding shortage of skilled workers in South Africa’s logistics industry.
- Mobility Foresights: South Africa Cold Chain Logistics Market “South Africa Cold Chain Logistics Market Size and Forecasts 2030” Projects market growth and identifies “shortage of skilled workforce” impacting service quality and system reliability.
- Supply Chain Digital: Skills Gap Survey University of Johannesburg research by Rose Luke and Gert Heyns. Found 65% of employers indicate difficulty filling tactical level positions, with skills shortage as top five constraint on South African supply chains.
Training and Workforce Development
- ACRA (Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Academy) Fully accredited NAMB/QCTO/DHET training and trade test centre. Branches in Gauteng (Kempton Park), KwaZulu-Natal (Pinetown), and Northern Cape (Kimberley). Largest private training provider in the HVAC/R sector.
- Artisan Training Institute (ATI) Reports approximately 30% of trainees are women, with lower trade test completion rates. Sean Jones commentary on gender pay gap and female artisan training.
- International Railway Safety Council: Traxtion Rail Investment in Rail School accredited by TETA and QCTO; first female artisan qualified in 2023. More than 700 drivers and 75 red seal technicians trained.
Gender and Workforce Statistics
- CSG Talent: The Growing Gender Gap in HVACR Reports females made up just over 1% of HVAC/R workforce in 2015, with 99% of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics being male. Notes 53% of skilled trades workers are over age 45.
- Adcorp Group: Statistics on SA Artisans & Trades Documents that historically less than 10% of artisans are women, while 57% of TVET college enrollees in 2017 were female. Reports SA unemployment rate of 34.5% (7.9 million people).
- Adcorp Group: Opportunities for Female Artisans in SA Further analysis of gender gap in South African trades and artisan workforce.
- NGOConnectSA: Kandua.com Interview Royzanne Kampher, Head of Human Capital, reports fewer than 10% of home service professionals are women, consistent with US, Canada, and Europe figures of 10-12% in construction industry. Notes 45% of TVET technical programme students are female.
Trade Publications
- RACA Journal: New occupational qualification for the HVAC&R sector April 2024 article detailing QCTO qualification changes separating refrigeration, AC, CO2, and ammonia into distinct streams.
- RACA Journal: SAIRAC Johannesburg History May 2023 article noting government recognises refrigeration and air conditioning as critical skills.
- RACA Journal: Registration for refrigeration gas practitioners April 2023 article detailing SAQCC Gas registration requirements and SARACCA’s role in processing applications.
About ColdChainSA
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Related Resources
- Tertiary Certifications and Professional Qualifications Guide: Comprehensive overview of 55+ industry certifications and career pathways at coldchainsa.com/tertiary-certifications-professional-qualifications/
- Industry Associations Directory: 32+ organisations serving South Africa’s cold chain sector at coldchainsa.com/industry-associations/
- Cold Chain Glossary: 200+ technical terms and definitions at coldchainsa.com/cold-chain-glossary/